No one warned Darrell Stuckey before the first regular-season home game of his career. The Chargers safety stood on the field during the national anthem in 2010, trying to savor the moment. He listened as teammates quietly mouthed the lyrics.

And the rockets’ red glare.

The bombs bursting in air.

Boom! Boom!

“My heart stopped,” Stuckey said. “I almost stopped breathing. …I had no idea that that a military town brings so much thunder during the national anthem.”

The cannon at Qualcomm Stadium, positioned near the tunnel neighboring the home sideline, will be heard Sunday for the final time this year. It is one memory of many for Stuckey at the stadium, which may not see a Chargers game again after hosting their 1:25 p.m. matchup with Miami.

Not every player feels a strong tie to the site.

The city, maybe. Its concrete jungle, eh.

But with Stuckey in his sixth season, only five players have been on the team longer than him. He said that his drive to Qualcomm on Sunday will include the reflection of some of those times.

He remembers his first home-game injury.

It came during a 2012 exhibition game against the Packers. He was in the locker-room area afterward, undergoing a diagnostic test with medical personnel. He and his wife Lacie were expecting their first child at the time.

“They were debating if it was a stinger or a concussion,” Stuckey said. “I had to refute different things and tell them something that only I would know. One of the main things I could remember is that my wife was pregnant. I also remembered that I couldn’t tell anyone, so I couldn’t tell them. I couldn’t them she was pregnant.”

Stuckey laughed.

He tried to tell them his wife’s phone number instead. Ultimately, Stuckey was diagnosed with a concussion.

He remembers the various wins. He remembers the Mike Scifres punts he covered, one in 2012 against the Chiefs that saw him make a diving basket catch at the 7-yard line on Thursday Night Football.

Always, he’ll remember the cannon.

And the rockets’ red glare.

The bombs bursting in air.

“Even to this day, every time the national anthem comes, I take a deep breath, and I embrace it,” Stuckey said of the cannon's sound. “To me, it’s a reminder of home. … It’s surreal to think (Sunday) possibly could be the last one. I don’t want to tell myself that it’s a possibility. It’s like denial."

Nuts 'n' Bolts

• Quarterback Brad Sorensen officially was re-signed to the Chargers' practice squad Saturday. It’s the fifth transaction involving him in the past week, as he was promoted to the 53-man roster the previous Saturday, waived on Monday, signed back Wednesday then waived Thursday to create roster room for tackle Jeff Linkenbach. Sorensen made out OK. For all the flurry of activity, he earned two game checks and a Friday off-day. Guard Craig Watts was released from the practice squad Saturday in a corresponding move.

• Inside linebacker Denzel Perryman grew up and went to college in Miami. On Sunday, he'll start against his hometown team. The rookie said in the spring that this game was circled on his calendar, explaining that the Dolphins expressed intent to draft him in the second round if he was available. They traded out of the No. 47 pick instead. San Diego took him at No. 48. "They were talking to me, telling me all this good stuff," Perryman said in May. "We're all grown. You can tell me you're going to take me or not. Don't sugar coat with me. It is what it is. But Dec. 20, it's on and popping. Every other week, too."